Issue |
A&A
Volume 676, August 2023
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | A126 | |
Number of page(s) | 14 | |
Section | Planets and planetary systems | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346751 | |
Published online | 23 August 2023 |
Discovery and physical characterization as the first response to a potential asteroid collision: The case of 2023 DZ2★,★★
1
Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy,
5 Cuţitul de Argint,
040557
Bucharest, Romania
e-mail: popescu.marcel1983@gmail.com
2
Astroclubul Bucureşti,
Blvd Lascăr Catargiu 21,
10663
Bucharest, Romania
3
Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING),
Apto. 321,
38700
Santa Cruz de la Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
4
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC),
C/Vía Láctea s/n,
38205
La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
5
The University of Craiova,
Str. A. I. Cuza nr. 13,
200585
Craiova, Romania
6
Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna,
38206
La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
7
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria,
28040
Madrid, Spain
8
AEGORA Research Group, Facultad de CC. Matemáticas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid,
Spain
9
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield,
Sheffield
S3 7RH, UK
10
Isaac Aznar Observatory,
Alcublas, Valencia, Spain
11
ROASTERR-1 observatory,
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
12
Institute of Space Science (ISS),
409, Atomiştilor Street,
077125
Măgurele, Ilfov, Romania
Received:
26
April
2023
Accepted:
13
June
2023
Context. Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) that may evolve into impactors deserve detailed threat assessment studies. Early physical characterization of a would-be impactor may help in optimizing impact mitigation plans. We first detected NEA 2023 DZ2 on 27 February 2023. After that, it was found to have a minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) with Earth of 0.00005 au as well as an unusually high initial probability of becoming a near-term (in 2026) impactor.
Aims. We perform a rapid but consistent dynamical and physical characterization of 2023 DZ2 as an example of a key response to mitigating the consequences of a potential impact.
Methods. We used a multi-pronged approach, drawing from various methods (observational-computational) and techniques (spectroscopy-photometry from multiple instruments), and bringing the data together to perform a rapid and robust threat assessment.
Results. The visible reflectance spectrum of 2023 DZ2 is consistent with that of an X-type asteroid. Light curves of this object obtained on two different nights give a rotation period P = 6.2743 ± 0.0005 min with an amplitude A = 0.57 ± 0.14 mag. We confirm that although its MOID is among the smallest known, 2023 DZ2 will not impact Earth in the foreseeable future as a result of secular near-resonant behaviour.
Conclusions. Our investigation shows that coordinated observation and interpretation of disparate data provides a robust approach from discovery to threat assessment when a virtual impactor is identified. We prove that critical information can be obtained within a few days after the announcement of the potential impactor.
Key words: minor planets / asteroids: individual: 2023 DZ2 / techniques: spectroscopic / techniques: photometric / methods: observational / methods: numerical / celestial mechanics
Spectrum, spectro-photometric data, and light-curves are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr (130.79.128.5) or via https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/676/A126
Based on observations made with the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) telescope and the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT), in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (programme IDs GTC31-23A and INT99-MULTIPLE-2/23A), and the Two-Meter Twin Telescope (TTT) and the Telescopio Carlos Sanchez (TCS), in the Spanish Observatorio del Teide of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (commissioning phase).
© The Authors 2023
Open Access article, published by EDP Sciences, under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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